This Article is From Aug 16, 2013

In rising infiltration attempts, Pakistan pushing middle-aged men into Valley

In rising infiltration attempts, Pakistan pushing middle-aged men into Valley

An ID card recovered from a militant killed in Kupwara on Wednesday

Srinagar: One of two alleged militants killed while trying to infiltrate into India under the cover of firing by Pakistani troops on Wednesday, had an identity card on him that suggested that he was born in 1958. That would make him 55 years of age.

The two men were carrying arms and ammunition - AK 47s and pistols - much like the 13 other alleged militants killed by the Army while trying to enter India in the last fortnight. Many of these men, say Army sources, have been middle-aged.

The Army assesses that older militants are now trying to infiltrate into India to revive militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Militancy, says the Army, has seen a dip in the Valley over the past two years.

The last two weeks have seen what the Indian Army has described as the biggest ceasefire violation in recent months. Pakistan has violated the ceasefire agreement several times since August 6, when five Indian Army soldiers were killed at the Line of Control in Poonch sector of J&K. Yesterday, as India celebrated its Independence Day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent Pakistan a stern message, saying it must prevent use of its territory for any anti-India activity for relations to improve.

Pakistan has been known to favour the strategy of pushing through as many militants as possible into India before the mountain passes of the Himalayas close with the onset of winters. They use the skirmishes at the border as cover for the infiltration attempts.

Defence Ministry sources also say that they expect Pakistan's Army to step up hostilities at the border with general elections in India just months away.
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